


Complicated Apology

by Carmineladyluck



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cat Plagg, Designer Marinette, Dog Tikki, F/M, model adrien, no miraculous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-10-23 17:56:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10724328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmineladyluck/pseuds/Carmineladyluck
Summary: Award season is coming up, which means Jagged Stone and his secret designer Ladybug have the opportunity to collaborate with Gabriel Agreste. Too bad when Ladybug went to drop off the folder with her work the receptionist turned her away.  Now it's up to Adrien to convince Jagged Stone and Ladybug to accept the collaboration.





	1. Ladybug has left the building

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction for The Miraculous Ladybug, any feedback is appreciated. It isn't betad, which means that there are probably some grammatical errors, I tried to catch as many as I could. I'm also really awful at naming things, let me know if you have any ideas. Hope you like it!

The doorman was looking at her, his stiff posture and his raised eyebrow conveyed all he felt about her appearance, it was a look of pure contempt. She could tell him that she'd just gotten off a red eye flight from Hong Kong, where she'd had her luggage lost, but by the look of it he wouldn't care. He also wouldn't care that the key to her apartment was in the luggage so she was stuck in her Jagged Stone shirt and blue jeans until further notice.  
He was a doorman. She was being ridiculous, who cared if she was wearing one of the shirts she'd designed for the last tour? This man's job was to stand outside in a suit and tie and open the door for her. She straightened her back and smiled at him.  
“Thank you.” Marinette was a fashion designer for one of the best musicians in the world. She got to tour the world and see millions of people sporting merchandise she had designed. Not to mention all of the covers to albums she had helped with. Marinette was amazing, who needed the approval from a doorman? 

Jagged Stone was one of the most interesting employers she could have hoped to work for. He had fallen in love with her designs the moment he had spotted her Eiffel tower sunglasses, and the second time he had approached her for his album cover her fate had been sealed. The only problem was that she was too talented, so to keep her from being snatched from him too soon he'd gotten her to sign a contract, she'd be known as Ladybug, a top secret fashion designer who kept public intrigue high.  
Gabriel Agreste had seen the work through the years, the quality of Ladybug's work was high, and he was interested in a collaboration for the award season. The only problem was Jagged Stone wasn't interested in another designer. It had taken years of offers before Jagged Stone and Ladybug had finally consented to a meeting, one which Ladybug wouldn't even attend. Jagged Stone and his crocodile were lounging on his white couch and no designs were present.  
“Ladybug hopped on a plane this morning and will drop them by.” Jagged had waved his hand and flipped through different sketches sorting them into haphazard piles. Adrien Agreste glanced at his father then back to his favorite musician, Fang made him nervous, but it wasn't everyday you were this close to your idol. 

The receptionist had looked up when Marinette had approached, glanced over her clothes, and gone back to filing her nails. Marinette cleared her throat, and waited another minute for the woman to do her job. The receptionist blew gently against her nail, and pulled out a bottle of pink polish.  
“Excuse me,” Marinette finally broke, her tone was edgy but she tried to dial it back.  
“Can I help you?” The receptionist's tone was bored, and she didn't look up as she painted a long stripe up one side of her nail.  
“I have some files I need to drop off for Mr. Stone and Mr. Agreste.” Marinette offered the specially made red manila envelope with the black spots, the receptionist glanced at the file then back over Marinette's outfit.  
“Miss I'm going to have to ask you to leave.”  
“Excuse me?” Marinette clutched the file against her chest.  
“You're obviously a fan of Jagged Stone, and we can't allow a rabid fan to leave fan mail here for him.” The receptionist leveled a pitying look at her before waving her drying nails in a shooing motion.  
“I work for Mr. Stone and was asked to deliver this file here for his meeting with Mr. Agreste.” Marinette spoke slowly, the poor receptionist had obviously inhaled too many fumes if she thought she was just going to leave.  
“Miss if you don't leave I will call security.”  
“May I sign in to prove to my employer that I was here?” Marinette gestured to the clipboard, her head tilting in a non threatening manner.  
“Do whatever you want as long as you leave.” the receptionist waved her hand in the air again in a lazy motion as Marinette's quickly signed her insignia. 

“Mr. Stone this is not professional.” Gabriel Agreste's fingers were steepled together as he glared at the heavily made up man, he opened his mouth to continue when a melodious whistle came from the Rocker's phone.  
Jagged Stone read the text and frowned and glared at the man behind the desk, “Looks like we won't be doing business together.” he stood and gathered the leash to Fang and gestured for his agent Penny to follow.  
“I don't understand.” Gabriel stands from behind his desk, his hand smacking the top of his desk.  
“Your receptionist turned Ladybug away without taking the files she brought, called her a rabid fan, and threatened to call security. It's unprofessional and I dislike the treatment my little bug received. So we won't be collaborating”  
He glanced at Adrien, “Lovely meeting you Chat Noir, don't be a stranger.” 

 

“Alya it was ridiculous! I've never been so angry in my life!” Marinette was unpacking her hard side suitcase, which had been delivered to her apartment from the airport hours ago. Tikki, her corgi, had been picked up from her parents bakery and was sleeping comfortable on the bed.  
“Come on girl!” Alya's voice cracked over the phone, “ you have to admit that your shirt was a little incriminating.”  
“Alya everyone has at least one Jagged Stone shirt, we did the math at the last merchandise meeting.” Marinette sighed, “Also Jag has shown the Ladybug envelopes off during interviews, people know what they look like. She could have taken it in to the meeting.”  
“Everyone knows what they look like which means someone out there could have copied it.”  
“There are tons of details nobody knows though.” Marinette flopped against the plush duvet, her hand resting against Tikki's warm body.  
“Like?” Alya's voice went up, Marinette knew that tone well. It was the one she used to find out who Marinette's first crush was. It was the tone that found out Marinette was Ladybug. It was the tone that Alya used when interviewing celebrities.  
“Alya this is off the record.” She could hear Alya humming on the other end, the one that meant she was debating how much this scoop was worth, “Alya?”  
“OK I promise this is off the record. I swear it on Nino's next concert, I swear it on my phone, and I swear it on my mom's famous coq au vin.”  
“There's a small indentation of a ladybug in the bottom left corner, and the inside of the envelope itself is completely black inside. Only the flap of the envelope and the outside is red. Anything else and it's a fake.”  
“That's it? Mari those are boring secrets! You got my hopes up for something incredible and you gave me that!” “”  
“Alya!”

“Adrien I want you to meet with Jagged Stone and try to get him to reconsider a collaboration.” Gabriel's hands were clasped behind his back, his back was turned to look out the windows instead of facing his son.  
“But père,”  
“No buts Adrien, I want a collaboration with Ladybug. You have an in with Jagged Stone, he liked you. Gave you a foolish nickname to match your foolish connection to that cat of yours.”  
“Yes père.” Adrien left the room, there was nothing left for him to say. His father's secretary nodded to him as he left the office, and met him at the private elevator.  
“Adrien I have a copy of your schedule for tomorrow,” Nathalie held a copy of the schedule to him, and rode down in companionable silence. She'd watched him grow, and they'd developed a sort of bond after the death of his mother, “I set up a meeting with Mr. Stone for Wednesday, he was adamant not to meet with your father again.”  
Adrien smiled at Nathalie, he'd been trying to figure out the best way to set up a meeting with him to bring up the collaboration again, without sounding like a brainless pawn.  
“Thank you, Nathalie.”


	2. Chat Noir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter, sorry for any grammatical errors I didn't manage to catch. Thank you to everyone who left comments and kudos on the first chapter, here's a little longer one for you guys.

Her heart was in her throat as she leapt across the rooftop, she knew realistically that this was a dream but the feeling of falling and the satisfying knowledge that she had made the jump kept her soaring. The sky above was brilliant blue and perfect wispy clouds streaked along. Just ahead she could see the balcony to her parents bakery, she was almost home. She could smell the warm, fresh from the oven bread, and she could hear the loud laughter from her father and the guitar riffs. The guitar riffs?  


Groaning Marinette untangled herself from the white and pink spotted sheets, her hand already searching for the silent phone. She'd missed the call, but knowing the eccentric nature of her boss he was already hitting the redial button. The electric guitar riffs ripped through the air as she unplugged the charger from the bottom of her phone, answered, and held it to her ear.  


“Allô” Marinette let her jet lagged eyes remain closed against the too bright cell phone light.  


“Mari I need a few things made for a character named Chat Noir. I emailed the measurements to you. Just send them to the hotel tomorrow morning.” Jagged Stone's voice reverberated a bit, and the sound of running water gave away that he was running a bath for Fang.  


“Jag you can't keep giving strangers nicknames. Why does this one need a costume?”Marinette feeling brave let one of her eyes open enough to look at the time, 6:30 A.M.  


“Because he has a meeting with Ladybug to discuss our collaboration with Gabriel Agreste”  


Marinette sighed and pushed herself out of the comfort of bed, “Jag you turned it down yesterday. Why are we meeting with someone to discuss something you said no to?” Mari was going to need coffee if this was the way her day was going to be.  


“I liked this guy, if he can convince us to work with Gabriel Agreste we can move up to the Agreste kid.” Jagged Stone's voice had stopped reverberating and a soft click followed his sentence.  


“What time do I need to have this delivered to the hotel?” Mari sighed she'd learned early on that once Jagged Stone had something in mind there was no arguing.  


“I need the Chat Noir costume here by one, and I need you here in Ladybug garb by 2:30.” Jagged Stone made kissing noises into the phone and hung up.

Marinette's apartment was two bedrooms, one bathroom, and close to her parents bakery it wasn't anything fancy, but to her it was perfect. She took Tikki out to use the bathroom, started a pot of coffee, and sat down in her second bedroom. This bedroom had been turned into a sort of home office when she moved in. She had a bigger one available to her, but after touring for so long there was nowhere else she wanted to be.  


The first time she'd dressed as Ladybug for an event she'd stressed over ideas for weeks. Would a simple mask keep her identity safe? How should she do her hair? Should she wear a whole body suit or was that overkill? It had taken a forced break from her mom to finally break her thoughts down. She'd finally managed to decide that it didn't matter. She wasn't a superhero, she was a designer and if someone figured out she was Marinette Dupang-Cheng the world wouldn't end.  


The first time she went on the red carpet she was 18, she wore a red mask, pigtails, and long red and black spotted dress. Over the years she'd changed her hair and she'd changed her dress style, but the mask had always been a constant. And with these thoughts Marinette had continued to design characters when Jagged Stone had asked for them.

Wednesday morning Adrien woke up nervous to be meeting with his favorite musician again, he was even more nervous when late last night Nathalie had come to him with a message that they were to buy a suit from a shop. He had suits of course, all of his clothes were from his fathers company, a perk of being a model for his company. So he dressed casually in jeans and a green and white polo shirt, packing along a pair of dress shoes to change into.  
Adrien was even more surprised when he had arrived at the shop and the owner, a balding man with a long pointed nose, had ushered him into the fitting room. There was a black fitted suit, a black button up shirt, and a gold bow tie waiting for him. Before the owner could slip away to another patron Adrien had cleared his throat and met his eyes.  


“Mr. Stone has called ahead and specified this outfit for you. These were picked for you based on your measurements, and they should fit with no problems.” The balding man bowed and then scurried to the other patron.  


Adrien was used to others picking his outfits for him, he was a model after all, but it was different this time. This was an open act of defiance for his father, though there wasn't a tag inside the clothes that he could see, the cut wasn't one that Agreste used often. He put it on though, he was supposed to meet with Jagged Stone, and he had to try to get the collaboration.  


The suit fit, he wasn't surprised the owner had said the measurements were sent ahead, he was surprised that the cut made him look debonair and handsome. He left the changing room his jeans and polo shirt held in his arms. There was a slim red headed woman at the register and as he approached her eyes widened in surprise, before a wide smile filled her face.  


“Mr. Agreste?” She waited long enough for Adrien to nod before she continued, “The suit has already been paid for, let me give you a bag for your clothes and you're good to go.”

 

The hotel he arrived at was large and grandiose, it belonged to Mayor Bourgeois who was close to his father's inner circle. And it meant that Chloe Bourgeois was in the vicinity. Adrien had been friends with her since they were young, something that had been rocky when they were teenagers and Adrien had continued to be home schooled. Chloe had gone through a phase where she'd bullied her classmates and had been verbally abusive to anyone who got in her way. Adrien had refused to associate with her during this behavior.  


After she had graduated from college she had approached Adrien at a charity function and had apologized for her behavior, they'd slowly mended the gap between them and become friends, but today wasn't the day that Adrien wanted his friend to see him.  


He grabbed a pamphlet on the Eiffel tower and quickly hid his face behind it, glancing over the top he began to search the room for any signs of blonde hair or yellow clothing. There was a man with blonde hair, there was an old woman wearing a yellow cardigan, and there was a blonde haired girl in a yellow dress but she was too young to be Chloe. Adrien sighed in relief as he made his way to the golden elevators, he was thankful that he hadn't had to explain why he was in the hotel. Especially when Chloe had an eye for fashion and would know that the suit wasn't one of his fathers.  


The chime of the elevator caught his eye, and as the doors slid open he caught a glimpse of a yellow dress and had just enough time to pull the pamphlet back up over his eyes.  


“Sabrina the paper isn't due until Friday, I don't see why we need to work on it today.” The tone of her voice was bored but Adrien wouldn't put it past Chloe to look for a distraction.  


“Chloe if we get it done today we have all of Thursday to relax.” Sabrina was pulling on her arm, and Adrien took the chance to slide behind the two girls into the elevator. He frantically pushed the close door button, his face still hidden behind information on the tower.

“Adrien!”Jagged Stone smacked him on the back fondly and looked over his suit, “Ladybug has good taste doesn't she?”  


“Ladybug chose this?”Adrien was gobsmacked as he was pulled through the door, hardly noticing how close to Fang he had been.  


“Never mind that. Now when Ladybug gets here no mention of who you actually are, you're name is Chat Noir got it?” Jagged Stone had pulled the blond boy into the bathroom and was busy applying product and mussing up his hair.  


“I'm confused.”  


“Ladybug needs to know that the receptionist made a mistake. She needs to know also that Agreste is interested in her as a designer. But she doesn't want anything to do with anyone named Agreste, hence Chat Noir.” Jagged Stone was clipping leather cat ears into his messy blond hair, grinning manically as he pat the space between.  


“So I'm meeting with Ladybug?”  


“She'll be here in a little bit, which is why we're getting you dolled up in your disguise. Can't have you two recognizing each other. Now we're going to put this mask on with a little bit of eyelash glue, watch out for this stuff though.”  


“Wait what? Where did you even get this stuff from?” It was a strange experience having your idol pressing a mask to your face, it was even stranger knowing that you were meeting with a designing icon, and it that you were somehow supposed to seduce her into agreeing to collaborate without telling her who you were.  


“Ladybug made them yesterday for me. She's a doll really, sweetest girl you'll love her.” Jagged stone offered him a strange belt made of leather that had a leather tail curling from it, “Now you'll have to figure out your angle.”  


“What do you mean my angle?”  


“Something that she'll never be able to track back to actual you.”

 

When Marinette arrived at the hotel in full Ladybug garb she was less than enthused to be approached by Chloe Bourgeois, she'd had enough of her in college to last a lifetime. The worst part about being Ladybug was she had no reason to be rude to Chloe, so she stopped and took a selfie, she signed an autograph, and she got into the elevators.  


The reflective gold warped her image but she could still see enough of her image to know nothing was out of place. This season Ladybug had gone for a knee length red dress, poofed out with layers and layers of black tulle to create a vintage look. A thick black belt around her waist, a pair of black flats, and a red fabric rose pinned on the strap completed the dress. Her hair was swept into an elegant bun, and the red and black spotted mask hadn't changed from her first time in the spotlight.  


She knew what the individual pieces of her design for Chat Noir looked like, she knew what it looked like all designed together, but she wasn't expecting how amazing it looked when worn with blond hair and green eyes.  


Adrien had seen pictures of Ladybug, he knew she had blue eyes and black hair. He knew she wore red and black spots. He hadn't been prepared for milky white skin or how blue her eyes really were.  


“Ladybug glad you could make it!” Jagged Stone swept her into a hug, something she returned easily.  


“You didn't leave me much choice Jag.” her voice was melodious, her laughter was beautiful. Adrien had to snap out of this if he had any choice of getting her to agree to work with his father. Her blue eyes met his. Never mind he was screwed.  


“You must be the infamous Chat Noir, it's a pleasure to meet you.” she held her hand out to shake his  


“It's Meow-veleous to meet you Ladybug” His hand had met hers, their bare skin had touched, and he hadn't let go yet, but he could feel her hand stiffen in his grip. Had he done something wrong?  


Jagged Stone was laughing and then Adrien was bowing under the hard smacks on his back.  


“Meow-velous! Hahaha that's a good one.” Jagged was pulling Adrien to the couch his arm around his shoulders, and Ladybug's hand had slipped from his grasp. And suddenly Adrien understood what had happened, he had made a pun. Oh god, no wonder she hadn't said anything else.  


Ladybug sat on the couch across from him, this wasn't a good sign, he knew he'd messed up but before he could apologize for his stupid pun, Jagged had already plopped in the seat next to his designer.  


“So the reason I've called you both here is that I need both of your fantastic minds on this problem. Chat Noir has insight into the Agreste fashion world that might lead us into a collaboration and Ladybug is my go to gal. Normally I'd be here to weather these talks together, but I'm needed at home”  


“Jag I don't think,” Ladybug looks startled, Adrien wants to assure her she'll be fine.  


“No worries my bug, just some problems with the missus, now I'll set Chat Noir up with the number for my merchandising specialist Marinette, she lives here in Paris and she's the best. If you wouldn't mind passing that number along to the Agreste boy, they can be the go between.”  


“I really don't think Marinette would appreciate being used as a go between.” Ladybug's tone is harsh, but judging by the look Jagged Stone is giving it's nothing he hasn't heard before.  


“My Bug I'm sure that you and Chat Noir are both busy, which is why it's best to save big discussions to you both and to save minor inconvenient discussions to Marinette and the Agreste kid. Don't you think Chat?”  


“I would Pawfer to meet for big discussions Milady.”  


Ladybug glanced between the two of them, before sighing and leaning into the couch.  


“Fine, but give the puns a break.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your Kudos and comments! I really appreciate them!!!
> 
>  
> 
> Here's a picture of what I imagine Marinette's Ladybug dress to look like:  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/cf/3a/a9/cf3aa9f065e4185ba3f0f3515a5372d1.jpg


	3. Mewovalous Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry! I had most of this written up and then I wasn't sure how I wanted this to go until today so I went through and fixed little bits and pieces, and wrote the end. Thank you everyone for the kudos, and comments. I love all of you!

Adrien hadn’t even reached the ground floor in the elevator before a text from an unknown number came through on his phone, 

“Hello this is Marinette; my schedule is packed but I’ll be at the office all week. Stop by whenever you’re free.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to this short correspondence, wasn’t the point of exchanging phone numbers to set a meeting time and place? An address came through on a following text, and when he searched for it in the map application he pulled up a two-story brick warehouse in a small shopping district. He was somewhat familiar with, they’d been Chloe’s stomping grounds when she’d been in school.

The gentle jolt as the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor gave him the warning he needed to tuck his phone into his pocket, and he waited for the soft ding and sigh of the doors as they glided open. He tucked his hands into his pockets and went to step out, only to find the way blocked by Chloe.

“Who are you?” Her arms were crossed over her yellow dress, and she gave his suit a long look over. Adrien was struck with the realization that he was still wearing the outfit that Ladybug had put together, he hadn’t taken them off before he’d come down the different floors. Which meant his mask was still firmly in place.

“Chat Noir Mademoiselle Bourgeois,” he swept himself into an overdone bow, trying his best to quickly think of an escape route “meowvalous to make your acquaintance.”

“Why are you dressed like that?” her nose wrinkled, her hand gesturing, taking a risk he grabbed her hand and circled them so their positions in the elevator entrance had changed. 

“I had a meeting with Ladybug.” He’d caught the picture of the two of them on Instagram, it would make the masks work at least. Bowing again, all sweeping arms and low head so she couldn’t see his face, he turned letting the golden elevators close on the surprised look that he’d seen from the corner of his eyes. 

The warehouse looked the same as it had from the satellite photo, red bricks and huge windows glinting in the sun. Ivy had wrapped itself along one side of the building in some form of an ugly sweater. Up the concrete steps and through the glass doors was a regular office building, at least that’s what Adrien had told himself he was expecting. 

The reality was much better. It was two floors of open space, there were desks along one area with computers and printers. But there was a whole section filled with giant beanbags and hammocks, cloth swings hung like cocoons from the second floor. And the people milling in the office were the most colorful people he’d ever seen. 

“Hey Dude! You must be Adrien,” the man who approached him was tall with tan skin, he was wearing a red baseball cap, dark glasses, and orange headphones, “Name’s Nino. Marinette asked me to show you around when you got here. She’s wrapping up a problem with one of the venues and we’ll finish when she finishes.”

The office as it turned out was even cooler than it seemed. The kitchen area had a fully stocked snack area, there was a memo board with character pictures of each of their heads drawn on it with little speech bubbles coming out of their mouths, even Ladybug had one. There was a gaming corner for breaks or teambuilding, apparently, Marinette was the Mecha Strike champion, but everyone enjoyed the chance to blow off steam. 

Nino, as it turned out was DJ Bubbler and he was the only one who could remix Jagged Stone songs into club ready anthem, his office was soundproof and the official tracks were amazing coming out of the speakers. Adrien was amazed at the tiny warehouse. Rose worked on the official Jagged Stone perfume line and offered him samples of some of his favorite scents. Alya oversaw the official tour blog, hundreds of pictures of her and Nino, Jagged Stone, and a black-haired girl littered the walls in front of some of the world’s most amazing sights. Adrien loved the 

 

“And this is Marinette, our fearless leader” Nino gestured into the large office where a short girl with black pigtails was surrounded by different colored Jagged Stone merchandise. She glanced up from her trapped position and smiled at them. 

“Mr. Agreste? I’m so sorry I couldn’t meet you downstairs our suppliers misunderstood our order and shorted us.” She was carefully trying to squeeze herself between the bins trapping her behind the large organized table. She was wearing pink pants, and a Jagged Stone shirt under a gray cardigan. The different colored bins were stacked haphazardly in varying colors with shorthanded letters and colored dots that made Adrien wonder how anyone could understand what was inside them. 

 

“Adrien, please,” he offered her a hand over the last of the bins and gave her a grin when she finally stopped in front of him, she was much shorter than he was but she was beautiful in a different way than Ladybug had been the night before, “I’m sorry to have taken you away from your busy day.” 

“No!” she looked up suddenly, a blush staining her freckled cheeks, “You’re fine! I promise you aren’t taking me away from anything. I’ve had to reschedule a conference with our Chinese suppliers because our translator is sick, and my Chinese is too basic to really talk business. And so far, I can’t find anyone who can speak Chinese, except my Maman who isn’t available until much later- I’m so sorry I was rambling” 

“Marinette it’s your lucky day.” He smiled at her again, realizing that they hadn’t let go of each other’s hands and that Nino and Alya were still watching from the doorway. 

 

A few days later Adrien found himself getting ready for an interview to promote the Fall line of his father's clothing. The television set for the late-night talk show was bustling with the crew members checking over the cameras, lighting, and ingredients for everything. Adrien sat patiently as a dark-haired woman fluttered around him, makeup brushes, powders, and setting sprays moving around the lit area as she prepared him for the brightly lit set. A coiffed man had fixed his hair with gel and spray so that it stayed in it’s heart breaking style, 

“Adrien!” The Host of the show, followed by a young up and coming actress were approaching, both beaming at him. 

He wanted to greet them, but the moment he tried the makeup artist swooped in with a nude lipstick. 

“We were looking through your Instagram, and besides some adorable pictures of your cat Plagg we noticed a mutual acquaintance!” the Host beamed at him a wide bemused smile, the actress giggling. 

“Jagged Stone?” Adrien asked thinking of the recent stars he’d posed for selfies with. 

“Him, but more importantly Miss. Dupeng-Cheng.”

“Marinette?

“Exactly!” The Actress bounced on the balls of her feet, “we were wondering if it was ok to bring her up on the air. She was on the show the last time I was.” 

“She was?”

“Jagged had a wardrobe malfunction. Marinette is Ladybug’s right hand wing woman so she swooped in to save the day. We had a segment about cake decorating that day, a sort of contest between a food personality, myself, and a model. But the model cancelled last minute. Jagged suggested Marinette. Did you know her parents own the best bakery in all of France? That girl can decorate a professional cake in no time at all.” The Actress smiles, pulling up a picture of herself and Marinette both in icing covered aprons, standing behind two very different cakes. 

“Sure.” Adrien stared at the picture looking at the two-layer cake in front of Marinette, smooth pale pink frosting covered in a bouquet of colored frosting flowers and leaves. 

“Wonderful! We’ll have the crew find the footage of the competition to play.” The host leaves, and the actress smiles over at Adrien. 

“Marinette’s wonderful, isn’t she? She’s a talented designer, an amazing merch technician, and she keeps Jagged Stone grounded. Which isn’t an easy task. You better woo her fast Agreste before someone else does.” The actress slides her phone from his hands, and makes her way back to her dressing room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't name the host or the actress. I thought about using other characters, but I didn't think any of them really fit the roles so I just left them nameless and faceless.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! Hope you all enjoy this one. I love the idea of Marinette's family having a mix of Chinese and French things, and it just being an everyday normal thing. 
> 
> Let me know if you guys have any thoughts on this, any comments and kudos are much appreciated.

Marinette was elbow deep in flour, surrounded by the warmth of the ovens and the deep sound of her father’s happy humming. She’d missed this when she’d been on tour, phone calls and skype can only do so much to cure her homesickness.

This is her first weekend off, usually she’d use the time to take Tikki for a walk in the late afternoon and stay in bed for as long as possible. But she’d had to drive to London for a meeting with Jagged for his new album cover, and to plan a takeover concert of the Eiffel Tower. She’d slept all afternoon after the late-night meeting, and driven all night to arrive at her parent’s bakery in time to help with the morning prep. 

The occasional whistle came from her mom as she mixed an old Chinese lullaby into the sweet humming chorus of La Vie En Rose, something that Marinette had heard her entire childhood. A shrill chime as one of the many egg timers went off, and the warm rush across the back of her neck as an oven door opened behind her. The smell of melted chocolate, and heady butter of the chocolate au pain fresh from the oven. 

“Mon chou can you hand me the whisk?” Her Papa’s smiling face meets hers, and the large warm hand engulfs hers as he takes the whisk. 

“Mari, mon coeur, can you bring a tray of the cookies in to the front?” Her Maman’s sweet voice calls back from the storefront. 

With the baking in the back handled by her father, and the front filled and manned by her mother with plenty of time to spare thanks to the extra hands. Marinette finds herself sitting at her dining room table across from her parents. Pain au chocolate, congee, and coffee are set on the table ready for the three of them to eat. 

Watching her parents as they do their morning dance around each other to get cream, sugar, and fruit is heartwarming, like watching the moment waltz between a Disney Princess and her Prince. The routine of it is Marinette’s favorite part of the morning, the way her Maman stands on her tiptoes to press her hand against her Papa’s cheek, and the way her Papa sets his large hand against her waist to steady her as she reaches to grab the sugar bowl from the middle of the shelf. 

It’s no surprise that breakfast is delicious, her Maman’s cooking and baking has always been fantastic. Her Papa’s baking is award winning, however he’s always happiest to compliment Maman after eating one of her dishes. The best is when both have had part in the meal, each half complimenting the other as her parents do.

“Fantastic as always Ma belle” her Papa kisses her Maman and then presses a kiss against Marinette’s cheek, letting his arms wrap against the sweet-smelling girl, “I’ll go unlock the shop Ma belle, Mon chou come see me for some sweets before you leave.” 

“Tell me about work Minette” Her Maman leans back into kitchen chair, one leg crossing the other comfortable. 

“We’re planning a concert on the Eiffel Tower, you know how he is, it’s been a nightmare getting all of the paperwork and permits filled out. Not to mention that since it’s a public place selling tickets and keeping an area private will be next to impossible.” 

“What have you considered doing?” Her Maman stirred creamer into her cup, the gently clink of the spoon against the side of the cup soothing mixing with the occasional ring of the shop bell below. 

“I think the only thing we can really do is use it as publicity for his album. “Marinette sighs and leans a cheek into her hand, her hand brushing through Tikki’s fur as she talks, “Honestly there isn’t a way to set up a boundary for the concert to be private. He’ll be up on a platform so he’s high enough that people will be able to hear and see him for miles. The only money we’ll really be getting is for merchandise. If we have him autograph copies of his CD’s and some shirts before the concert we can sell these for more, which could offset some of the cost for his Eiffel Tower stunt. We could do some picture opportunities too. But since I’ll be running the merch table Ladybug might only be able to be there for an hour tops.” 

“It sounds like you’ve thought of things mon coeur, “the sound of the shop door opening and her Papa’s booming laughter breaks the silence for moment, “I think the most you can do is provide Jagged with the bills for the permits. You have Ivan at the courthouse who can help you fill out the paperwork, you know he’s bribable with your father’s chocolate chip cookies. Not to mention that most of those fans want pictures with you more than they want pictures with Ladybug. Ladybug is just a fictional character, you’re the beautiful mastermind behind it. “ 

“Merci Maman. I’ll give Ivan a call, and see if I can’t bribe him to help us get all this paper work finished. Would you mind keeping Tikki that night? I’ll come and pick her up after the concert, but there are too many people to try and keep an eye on her there.” 

“Nonsense I love my Tikki” Sabine cooed at her grand dog before looking at her daughter once more, “Have you decided what to do about the Gabriel Agreste collaboration?”

“I don’t know Maman, it’s not like I’ve gotten an apology for the rude way I was treated. Just a stray cat. But Adrien Agreste came to the office the other day to sit down and talk about it, and ended up on a thirty-minute call with a supplier instead. “Marinette sighed and glanced at the woman across from her, “on the one hand I’ve always wanted to work with Gabriel Agreste but he’s been incredibly difficult about my secret identity, and just when we finally get him to agree to sit and talk his secretary insults me, and he does nothing to try and show he wants to work with me after all.” 

“Has Ladybug talked to Adrien? Marinette has been on overtime for the last couple of weeks designing new merchandise, clothing, and CD covers. Ladybug’s in the same boat, but an evening with her outside of the office might be more productive.” 

“I’ll have to see if I can fit it into his schedule.” Marinette smiled, and moved around the worn family dinner table to wrap her Maman into a hug. 

 

Adrien’s phone was ringing, it was more accurate to say that it was rocking out, but that could only mean that it was Jagged Stone. Smiling apologetically at Nathalie who had been giving him an overview of his photoshoot, he answers the phone quickly, glad of the excuse to think of happier things than being told to imagine his mother brining him plates of spaghetti. 

“Chat Noir!” Jagged Stone hadn’t let Adrien greet him, but he’d learned this was the norm for the rock star. Adrien made an assenting noise and listened to the cacophony of screaming fans behind the star disappear. He must have been in a public place. 

“I’m taking over the Eiffel Tower for a concert this weekend,” Adrien winced in sympathy imagining his new friends at the warehouse buried under mountains of legal paperwork, “I want you to come dressed as Chat Noir to see if you can’t convince Marinette to work with your father for the collaboration.”

“Why as Chat?” 

“If you show up to my concert as yourself and stand at a merch table how many screaming fans are going to try and put their hands on you? Not to mention your time at the office was spent on a tour and helping her get pink shirts. She needs someone a little more meowvalous to try and talk to her.” 

“Sir if you want to wear one of my father’s suits so much I’m sure Ladybug won’t mind.” Adrien was tired of being a go between. At home, all he heard was to get Ladybug to agree. At work, all he heard was to get Ladybug to agree. And now even from his favorite Rockstar it was to try and get Marinette to agree, so she could get Ladybug to agree. 

There was a long pause on the phone before a sigh came across, “You’ve never really spent time around girls have you?” 

“Um. I mean. “ 

“Kid I’m going to deny ever saying this if she gets wind of it.” Jagged Stone sighs again, “The first time I met Ladybug she was about 16, she made me these amazing Eiffel Tower sunglasses. Then I approached her for the design of my album cover. It eventually turned into a friendship, and her becoming the official designer for all things Jagged Stone. But the one designer she’s always looked up to has been Gabriel Agreste.”

“So, the reason you want a collaboration is for Ladybug?” Adrien spoke slowly, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden personal information on the confident spotted lady. 

“Well that’s one reason. Not to mention,” Jagged Stone laughed on the other line before adopting a teasing tone like a teenage girl, “Adrien Agreste is the most amazing person in the world! I would like totally die if I got to work with him!” 

Adrien almost dropped his phone. Ladybug had had a crush on him!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French translations for the nicknames:  
> Mon chou- my sweet bun  
> Mon Coeur- my heart  
> Minette- Kitty  
> ma belle- My beautiful one
> 
> I have a tumblr if anybody wants to stop by and hang out. It's Carmineladyluck :)


	5. Eiffel for you hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you for the kudos I love them!! Sorry it took so long to post another chapter. Work and school have been crazy for me.

Adrien wasn’t surprised to see the crowd milling around the Eiffel tower, he knew that Jagged’s concert was a big deal for everyone involved. He was surprised by the number of people who stopped him for selfies and called him “Chat Noir” His outfit for the day was a tailored pair of black pants, a black shirt with green pawprints, and a black leather jacket for when it started to cool off. His mask was in place, and his ears weren’t going anywhere either. 

“Dude! You must be here to help Mari, right?” the voice was recognizable as Nino’s and Adrien was relieved to see his new-found friend passing by with a gray tub marked in the neat script that Marinette had scrawled across pages while they had worked together. 

“You’re pawsitively correct!” Adrien fell into step beside Nino, who nodded his head toward the right with a grin. 

“You haven’t had the chance to work with her, yet right?” 

“Not yet, but I’m awfurrly excited to spend time at the merch table.”

Nino chuckled, “Don’t be too surprised by how many people are going to be offering you guys things. You know when people comment Mom on celebrity Instagram’s? Mari’s been getting Mom’s on her posts for a while. “ 

When they approached the table, they found the empty tubs stacked into a throne, and Marinette perched in a red sundress with an intricate flower crown, laughing as Alya took shots. Her dark hair was braided and pinned up close to her head. A Jagged stone fan was kneeling in front of her offering her a box full of cookies, and from where Adrien and Nino were approaching he could hear the excited pitch of her voice as she reaffirmed that the fan had made them for her. They were intricately detailed sugar cookies iced with album covers and Marinette’s shirt designs. 

Marinette was off the throne and wrapped around the fan faster than Chat Noir had seen her move. They were posing for a picture, the box of intricate cookies tilted so that they could be in the picture as well. The fan was bouncing after the picture enthusiastically thanking Alya and Marinette for the picture. 

“Mari! I found your helper.” Nino called loudly. 

Marinette smiled as she approached, hand outstretched “You must be Chat Noir.”

“Purrrleasure to meet you Princess” He took her hand in his, and carefully pressed his lips against her soft hand. He looked up under his eyelashes, something he learned modeling, and let his eyes graze against the freckles speckling her neck and shoulders. When his eyes glanced up they lingered across the constellation across her nose before meeting her bluebell eyes. 

“I’m sure.” She gently slid her hand from his, he straightened up and smiled crookedly at her, she was adorable flustered. 

Marinette grabbed the tub from Nino and pushed it into Chat’s arms, smiling widely at him, “If you want to follow me we can get everything arranged.

Chat was surprised, the amount of homemade sweets, accessories, and clothing where neatly packed away in tubs. Not only did Marinette have presents for her, but Alya and Nino as well. Some people had brought Chat little trinkets with cats on them. He was amazed at the dedication.

Marinette was astounding, even when they ran out of items she had order lists so that people could get the items. She also had an organization system set into place that kept things organized even when the crowds would mess with the merchandise. But now, the only people lingering were tourists out to catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. 

“Princess, would you do me the honor of going to dinner with me?” 

“You know what they say about feeding strays” She raised an eyebrow at him, smiling smugly.

“You’re assuming Prrincess that I don’t want to be claimed.” He leaned across the piles of shirts that she had finished folding, the tip of his nose brushing against the apple of her cheek.

“I don’t think I can afford to feed a stray,” her voice was almost breathless, and Adrien rubbed the tips if his nose against hers in an eskimo kiss, before pulling back to enjoy the spread of pink across her cheeks and down her neck.

“I promise I won’t eat much, not to mention once a cat becomes attached they’re your responsibility. You shared some of your cookies, therefore I’m already yours.” Chat was glad that he wasn’t Adrien right now, he felt embarrassed saying these cheesy lines.

“Hmmm I’m not sure if I can keep an alley cat, I’m more of a house cat kind of gal.” She’d moved directly across from him and in the dim streetlights she looked angelic. The small spill of light against the flower crown gave the petals an almost illuminated effect, and she looked like she belonged in a fairytale. He couldn’t help leaning forward and closing the distance between them, his eyes locked on hers.

“Mon chou!” A booming voice called between them and Marinette’s body turned away quickly. 

“Papa! Maman!” the loud barking of an excited dog met Adrien’s ears and his eyes found the bulking figure of what he assumed was her father moving closer. 

“Marinette where’s your coat?” Her mother chided her sweetly, pulling her between her parents.

“Maman it’s a little chilly, not enough to drag out a sweater to carry for the rest of the day.” Her father’s coat was off and swimming in its wake was Marinette, who looked every bit a child playing dress up. Her red sundress covered by plaid and gray fabric, a hood engulfing most of her face as she tried to push the excess into submission. 

“Tikki wanted to see you, since you’re finishing up, we thought you might like some dinner. “her father was holding a blue box stamped with a white logo, and the most amazing smells were coming from it, “It’s just a few sandwiches, but the croissants are warm, and we brought you some tea.” ‘ 

Her mother was giving her a look, and a quick succession of squeezes to her elbow, a sort of Morse code that was directing questions about the man in the leather jacket, cat ears, and mask her way. 

“Maman Papa this is Chat Noir, he’s helping me with the booth today. He works with Agreste and is the mediator between Ladybug and Gabriel.” The silly cat was scooped into the bulging arms of her father, who gave him the warmest hug he’d had in years. Her mother smiled and waited her turn to grasp him and pull him into her arms. And Tikki was pacing enthusiastically waiting for the strangely dressed man to pet her. 

Adrien had never been so warm, and had never eaten such delicious food in his life. He’d happily trade his entire bank account to be sitting with the Baker’s and their daughter as they jokingly shared jokes and stories about their days. Adrien realized what it meant to be part of a family, and he could feel himself craving the love he had barely tasted.


	6. Feed a stray and they will stay

The concert had gone smoothly, and surprisingly enough for Marinette, Chat Noir wasn’t unpleasant to spend time around. And any opportunity to share all the gorgeous snacks she received from the fans was perfect, even if she had to deal with puns and jokes that were horrible. 

Marinette was in her office now with Tikki sleeping on a giant pillow in the corner snoring softly, she was sorting through possible design ideas for new shirts, and going through multiple applications from businesses to create a line of specialty jewelry for Jagged’s tenth album release. It was exhausting, but Marinette knew that if she didn’t get it done before her trip to New York. She’d been searching for a certain shade of red for her Ladybug dress and she’d gotten a tip. 

There was a knock on the open doorway, Tikki’s ears flicking upward in recognition of a noise, but ignoring the possible threat of danger. Marinette was in danger, not from a stranger but from a gorgeous blond who was leaning on an elbow flashing her the crooked grin she’d become to associate with him. 

“Mind if I come in Marinette?” He was in a black tailored suit, his hair coiffed to perfection, and she was staring at him. Her mouth felt like cotton, and the realization of how thirsty she was hit her. 

“Of course, Adrien” taking a swallow of tepid tea does nothing to get rid of her dry mouth.

“I heard you’re gearing up for a trip, and that you got to meet Chat Noir. How was that?” Adrien didn’t sit, he lounged. Not in the way Marinette did where she felt her body go limp, but the poised perfect way that only someone with years of modeling could pull off. 

“It was fun. It was fun to work the table with him, he had an upbeat personality so the fans loved him too.” Marinette grins briefly at Adrien trying her best to not keep eye contact for too long, just in case he could tell that her heart was going crazy. 

Adrien made a noncommittal noise, and then grinned at her, enjoying the way her face had flushed. 

“I was wondering whether you had had the opportunity to talk to Ladybug about meeting with my father, I’ve gotten the receptionist moved to a different department and gotten her replacement through training. My father has also agreed to meet her while she’s in mask. He promised that until the collaboration was one hundred percent a go he wouldn’t make a deal of it.”

Marinette tilted her head, her pigtails brushing against the back of her neck. She didn’t mean to get the receptionist demoted, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel better. And if Gabriel was willing to meet without making a big deal of her mask then she could probably stand to meet with him. 

“I have a meeting scheduled with Ladybug in New York, I’ll make sure to bring up these concerns and have her contact Chat Noir for a meeting when we both come back.” Marinette could tell that Adrien was relieved, not because he’d shifted his position at all, but because the hard edge of his eyes had softened, and the crooked grin wasn’t as perfect. 

“Thanks Marinette.” And then he was up, lingering longingly in the doorframe rocking back on his heels throughout his goodbye. Marinette was sad to see him leave, but the perfect cut of the suit showed the curve of his butt perfectly. And then he turned to glance at her once more, and Marinette knew she’d been caught staring at his—assets. Her face flushed and she could hear him laughing as he descended the stairs. 

 

Adrien was happy, something he hadn’t been for a long time. The week that Marinette was gone was difficult for him, he hadn’t realized how attached he was to her, and how he missed the constellation of freckles across her nose or the way she flushed under his gaze. The worst of it had been when he’d called her with some nonsense question he’d made up. 

He was sprawled across his made bed, tired from a late-night photo shoot, the blackout curtains were pulled against the sun and the only problem he had at that moment was that Plagg had curled himself around the top of Adrien’s head. Plagg had meowed at him as he’d come through the door, a sign that his dish was empty of food, except the only spot that was empty was a hole in the middle of the bowl. He’d shaken the dish and did his best to ignore the look he was getting from the black cat. 

“Plagg your dish isn’t empty.” He’d tried to coax him to the bowl by shaking it, but the only true way to gain forgiveness was the slice of camembert that he’d crumbled over the top of it. At that point Adrien had kicked his orange converse off kicked his pants off towards the laundry basket, and thrown a pair of athletic shorts on. His bed was soft and melted underneath him to support his sore muscles. 

He had fallen asleep dreaming of bluebell eyes and freckles. He dreamed about a leather cat suit and a baton that extended underneath him. In his dream, he watched as the red and black spotted heroine in front of him swung from buildings and street lights in front of him. He was feeling desperate the further she advanced, the harder it was for him to differentiate between Marinette and Ladybug. 

They were in the middle of a fight against a giant pigeon man, something Adrien considered a nightmare with his allergy to feathers, when a phone began to ring. Jagged Stone’s gravelly voice crooned a rock ballad over the insane guitar riffs. Adrien was disoriented, the phone in his hand wasn’t ringing, which meant it was the Chat Noir phone. Something he’d hidden away from cleaners, and somewhere he couldn’t think of in his half-awake state. 

The ringing stopped. And then it was ringing again, loud and insistent in his huge bedroom. Dropping to the floor and reaching for a metal box with a padlock left him half under the bed by the time he answered. 

“Hello?” her voice over the speaker made him hold his breath in anticipation of this conversation, “Hello? Chat Noir? Does the cat have your tongue?” he could feel her amusement at her joke. 

“My Lady, I’m sorry it took so long to answer.” He could feel his face, too hot, and probably red. “As soon as I heard your voice it took my breath away.” 

“Perhaps I should have gotten you an inhaler as a souvenir.” She heaved an over exaggerated sigh, “are you free to meet up tomorrow?” 

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Chat knew this could only be about the collaboration, which would make his father happy, which meant the disapproving looks would disappear. Ladybug made a humming sound and rattled off a place and time. 

The tea shop was near Marinette’s parent’s bakery, which Adrien wanted to enter, but he knew his self-control was nonexistent and he would leave with more sweets than his nutritionist would ever allow. He was wearing black jeans and a loose black bomber jacket over a white shirt. His mask was firmly in place and he’d insisted on walking instead of being dropped off. 

The tea shop was brightly lit with large windows and small tables near the floor. Detailed screens were set up to give the illusion of privacy, brightly colored cushions were stacked in the corner of each screen, and from the look of it Adrien was early. 

A short old man in a red Hawaiian shirt had greeted him, acting as if he had known Adrien for years. He’d been lead to a small room off to the back. 

“My name is Fu, Ladybug will be here with you shortly Chat Noir, she is picking up an important book for me. I don’t get out the same way I used to.” 

A white china teapot with delicate sunflowers painted across it was placed on the table, steam rising and curling as the loose tea slowly seeped into the hot water. 

“Sorry I’m late.” Ladybug was slipping her shoes off, a pair of black pants, a white shirt with black polka dots, and a red embroidered jacket gave the illusion of a ladybug in a garden. With the light behind her she looked angelic. 

“It’s purrrrrfectly fine my lady, the tea has just finished seeping.” 

Ladybug rolled her eyes as she settled on a cushion across from him and began to dig through her bag. “I have a souvenir for you” a small black cat plush came out from her bag, tilted eyes and a frown gave the illusion that the cat was unhappy. It looked exactly like Plagg. 

“Thank you! It’s Meowvalous!” Chat Noir examined the black cat closer, and was even more surprised to see the resemblance closer. 

“Also, you seemed to make an impression on Marinette.” 

“Hopefully a good one.” 

Ladybug made a noncommittal noise and pulled a long rectangular box wrapped in brown postal paper doodled with paper airplanes across the entire package. Adrien slid his finger underneath the tape, taking his time to not rip through them. The box itself was black and didn’t have any markings from a store. She was watching him, and he could tell she wanted to yell at him to hurry up and just rip it. 

A thick black collar with a large golden bell sat inside, a note underneath written on mint green paper had looping cursive along it. 

“Chat-  
You know what happens when you feed a stray?   
Here’s a collar so you don’t get taken to the pound.  
Marinette.” 

It was too cute, Adrien could feel his face warming up, and he knew that Ladybug was looking at him. Marinette and Ladybug were both too cute. He was screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you to everyone who has left me kudos and comments. I love you all <3


	7. Handsome Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's taken so long for this chapter! My last classes were crazy. Thank you so much for your continued support <3

The Agreste household hadn’t always been cold and silent, it used to be filled with loud laughter and the tinkling keys of silly children’s songs. In recent years the laughter had become limited, and completely non-existent in front of Gabriel. The staff however, had taken it upon themselves to keep Adrien from feeling the chill that had settled over the mansion. They cooked his favorite food when he was feeling down, and when he was celebrating his many accomplishments they did their best to convey how proud they were of him. The silent support was something that Adrien had drawn upon through his private schooling, but as he grew into adulthood and observed the different forms of love he was missing out on, the more the silent support felt like pity. 

But today was different, the staff had been shocked to see Adrien make his way downstairs whistling, his hands casually placed in his pocket. He greeted each person he met with a real smile and even the morning schedule with Nathalie didn’t make his smile drop. 

Adrien had a meeting with Marinette this afternoon. He’d become closer to her as Chat, and the inclusion of working with the Jagged Stone team kept him in a good mood. As a model he was placed upon a pedestal and slowly posed and re-made up. He wasn’t included in the process beyond being the face. 

He powered his way through an interview with a teen magazine, something that he would have waded through, answering the same repetitive questions about what he looked for in a girl, and how his look had changed, not to mention the advice for girls in schools. His answers came easily, and he left the room with a sincere smile still plastered across his face. 

Even the traffic jam couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. He had fourteen messages from Nathalie who was going over possible new appointments. And he had one from his father, the four words printed across the screen was something he had heard every day “Get Ladybug on board.” This message wiped the edge off his smile, but the sight of the brick warehouse brought the feeling of sunshine back from behind the darkness of his father’s influence. 

“Dude!” Nino met him at the entrance, his hand outstretched for one of those bro handshakes where their hands slapped together, and then their shoulders bumped in some sort of hug. The plastic edge of Nino’s headphones clacked against the buttons on his jacket. 

Nino threw his arm enthusiastically over his shoulder, and started to steer Adrien away from the staircase that lead up to Marinette’s office.

“Marinette declared today a Mecha Strike tournament. She said we deserve some fun after pulling together Jagged’s Eiffel Tower takeover. We’ll grab some snacks and head back to where Marinette is kicking ass!” Nino was heading towards the wall of different snacks, his hands already reaching for chips and popcorn.   
Adrien had never had the freedom to choose his own snacks, and he knew if his father ever found out that he was stuffing his jacket pocket with candy packets of different kinds he would be put on a strictly grilled chicken and spinach diet. But he couldn’t bring himself to care as he laughed as Nino’s struggle to pick up a stray pack of cookies left more packages falling to the ground. 

Marinette was fighting against Alya, though it was less a fight and more of chasing her across the battle field as she escaped from the ladybug themed bot. Alya was squealing each time Marinette got too close, and the fight had become a joking conversation about the last date Marinette had gone on, some sort of journalist who had only been interested in the relationship she held with Ladybug and Jagged Stone. 

Finally, the battle between the girls finished, Alya bowing out as gracefully as she could for only hitting the ladybug character once or twice. There was a gleeful laugh and Marinette caught the tail end of Adrien’s smile, not the one she had one she had pinned all over her room as a sixteen-year-old girl, but the real one she had caught sight of once at the end of an awful pun Nino had told her. 

God, he was gorgeous, and her overwhelming crush sent a rush of butterflies against her ribs. His green eyes were squinted, and his white teeth exposed a crooked too wide grin. His eyes met hers as his laugh trailed off. And suddenly she could feel her own lips turning up into a smile. 

“I brought you another challenger Mari” Nino flopped against a beanbag chair the bags of snacks in his arms crinkling, and the pleather beneath him making a sound of protest. 

“I never said I would play against your champion, a gentleman never beats a lady.” Adrien looks at Marinette grinning cheekily, something she’d seen recently on another blonde. 

“You sure about that Handsome boy?” She grabs the vacant controller and throws it in his direction, giggling as the nickname makes a rush of pink cover his cheeks and the controller fumbling in his hands. 

“You’re on!” Adrien quickly chooses the cat robot, and familiarizes himself with the special attacks. 

The match is quick, the rematch is even quicker. Adrien has called for a rematch for the fifth time when he starts throwing puns into the mix, and when he realizes that he can throw a few punches her way because she’s rolling her eyes at how bad they, he keeps using the worst ones in his secret arsenal and eventually he almost has her character knocked out. 

“Looks like one of us is losing their lucky streak” Adrien taunts her, not taking his eyes off the screen. 

“Don’t count on it Handsome boy” she hits a quick succession of buttons and Adrien’s character is on the ground with cartoon stars flying around its head. 

“One more time!” Adrien practically snarls her way. Determined to win

“Sorry kiddo, we have business to discuss.” Marinette throws her controller to Nino and offers Adrien her hand. His hand is larger than hers, and is incredibly warm as it wraps around her wrist for extra support. She hopes that Adrien will ignore how fast her pulse is going, maybe he’ll chock it up to leftover adrenaline from the last video game. 

When they’re finally settled in her office, which is surprisingly clear of totes of merchandise Adrien takes the time to look around. Even the tacked-up sketches for the next album are gone. Marinette’s desk is tidy, only the tablet hooked up to her computer is out of place. 

“So,” Marinette clears her throat nervously around her heart that had jumped up, “Ladybug says she’s willing to meet with your father, the only condition being that he needs to not say anything about her wish to remain in her pseudonym.”

“I can get the news back to my father today and let Chat Noir know when to schedule an appointment.” Adrien can feel the disappointment in knowing that his trips to the office won’t be necessary soon. 

“That sounds wonderful.” Marinette is biting her lip, her fingers drumming nervously. “This might sound incredibly stupid, but I was wondering if you would mind tutoring me in Chinese.” 

She rushes to continue speaking before he can open his mouth, “You don’t have to agree at all! I know how busy you must be. But my Uncle is coming to visit soon and I would like to hold an actual conversation with him, but his French is about as great as my Mandarin.”

“Marinette, I would love to tutor you.” Adrien speaks quickly as she takes a breath, glad to have an excuse to continue to unravel this mystery girl in front of him. Not to mention he wanted to continue being included in the tiny family that he had formed in the office building. 

The smile that Marinette flashes him is full of relief, her bluebell eyes wide and her freckles becoming more prominent behind the blush. 

After the short meeting with Marinette, and quick goodbyes to his friends, Adrien finds himself being chauffeured to his father’s skyscraper. The sky that had seemed blue and full of sunshine looks gray and unappealing. Knowing that Ladybug’s identity is a close held secret, one she’s willing to put into jeopardy by working with his father leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. He knows how his father will push and weasel his way until he knows who she is. He’d already sent a text to Jagged Stone, who he understood was filming a talk show to publicly talk about his new album. He wasn’t sure he wanted Ladybug to meet his father. He knew he didn’t want any of his new friends left under the scrutiny of his father’s cold grey eyes. He couldn’t go back to the silent mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of those who leave Kudos and comments! It means a lot to me! I also have a tumblr if anyone has any requests or questions.


	8. Ladybug has Entered the building

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the kudos and comments! I'm glad to have finished another chapter and now it's just about feelings and figuring out the clues.

Outside the large windows the skyline of Paris twists and distorts as droplets of water race each other. The tapping sound of the rain pelting against glass is mirrored in the quick succession of taps his father’s foot is doing against the modern white flooring.

“She’s late.” This is the third time his father has said this, the call had come in from Marinette that Ladybug needed to reschedule the meeting time, Jagged Stone had apparently been showing off at a concert and ripped an essential part of his costume. This was something she had passed on to his father’s private secretary as well as to Nathalie. The time had been pushed back further, but his father was insistent that the original meeting time was the scheduled appointment.

Adrien wasn’t sure how much longer he could take the tapping of his father’s fingers; the sound had put him on edge and he was feeling anxious and nauseated. He’d been sipping on a seltzer to try and calm the uprising his stomach was attempting, so far it had joined the sloshing rave his insides were throwing.

The intercom buzzed, but it was a beat too late as the doors had been opened and a stunning figure in red had let herself in. His father’s new secretary could be seen red faced, behind Ladybug and she was spewing words too quickly for them to be understood.

“You can’t just enter Mr. Agreste’s office!” the secretary had clasped onto the elbow of Ladybug, and Adrien could see the blotchy face of the woman turn pasty under the gaze Ladybug had leveled at her. Ladybug was shorter than the ex-model, though the tall woman seemed to shrink smaller and smaller.

“Genevieve, I would return to your desk,” Ladybug’s bright eyes met Adrien’s and he could feel his heart pause in a strange mixture of awe and fear, “The phone is only going to continue ringing without your dulcet tones to stop them.”

The woman blinked slowly, her eyes glancing quickly around the room before she mumbled an apology and was out of the room. The silence of the room was thick, he could tell his father was irritated by the sudden entrance of Ladybug, he had lost control of the situation and Adrien could see the crinkling of his nose from where he sat.

“Shall we get started?” Ladybug’s domino mask was plain, but the bluebell eyes behind promised that she was anything other than extraordinary. She removed her black over coat and let it rest across the white couch. She sank gracefully, almost dangerously onto the over plump cushions and rearranged the deep red of her dress. Her nails were done in red and black spots, she was pulling manila envelopes and files from her bag and arranging herself and the material out in the order they were needed.

Nobody else had moved, Adrien was afraid to pull any attention his way, and his eyes had drifted back to his father. His father’s hands were clenched into fists and the pale eyes behind his glasses were narrowed in annoyance.

“Miss Ladybug as much as I would love to start talk of this collaboration, I feel it important to question your upbringing. From the moment you have stepped into my office you have shown nothing but impatience and rudeness. I am questioning whether I am willing to associate my name with your own. For you to garner business from my connections after this behavior is questionable.”

“Gabriel sit down.” Ladybug had shifted in her seat she seemed to grow predatory in the narrowing of her eyes and the way her sharp nails rested under her chin, “You seem to forget that the one who needs connections is yourself. You haven’t put out an original idea for years, your suits have changed little, and your women’s line is atrocious. The first time I came to your office I was insulted and sent away by a pawn of your company. The apology came from your son, but the one with the bad upbringing is a petulant child who seems to think that his company is still considered top of the line.” 

Adrien had never seen his father sit so quickly. He had never heard his father apologize to anyone before, but he had been shamed into quietly going over details he admired from previous award seasons, and how he had incorporated a few of her past ideas into sketches.

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting, staring at the woman who had shut his father down. This woman had had a crush on him. He had been seen and admired by the bluebell eyes, long dark lashes framed her eyes. From this close he could see the distinct angle her eyes tilted. The sense of Déjà vu when her eyes focused on his was intense and overwhelming. The curve of her lip in a smirk, and he could feel his face flushing. 

The meeting had been relatively short, Gabriel had agreed to compile a list of his newest ideas for a meeting in two weeks. Ladybug had insisted that Adrien give her a tour of the fabric storehouse, something he had no idea of besides the location, and his father had easily agreed. And silently he and Ladybug had boarded the elevator.

As soon as the doors had closed Ladybug almost collapsed against the back of the mirrored elevator walls. She sighed, her eyes closed. And as she opened them again to meet his, a shy smile covered her face.

“Sorry you had to be there for all of the nonsense.” Her voice was quieter than it had been, and if they weren’t standing so closely together in the elevator he isn’t sure he would have heard her. “It really just rubbed me the wrong way that he was insinuating that my parents hadn’t taught me manners, and that I was the only one benefiting from a collaboration. “

She looked beautiful and Adrien couldn’t stop the laugh from bubbling up and out of his mouth. He wanted to compliment her and just the fact that she looked so surprised that he was laughing. He couldn’t stop, and in an instant, he was breathless. She had tilted her head back, eyes squinted shut in laughter. It was familiar and peculiar, he could feel his heart trying to climb up and out of his mouth.

The doors opened too quickly, and Ladybug was wiping tears from the corner of her mask as she led the way out of the elevator door. And too quickly they were surrounded by bolts of different fabrics. They’d moved through leather, fur, and high-quality silk. Ladybug was holding a bolt of hand dyed fabric when he felt his eyes watering. And then he was sneezing, loud and awful sneezes.

“Are you alright?” Ladybug’s hands were on his arm, and he tried to stop the next sneeze.

“I’m allergic to feathers.” He sneezed again and let Ladybug lead him out of the room and toward a bench. She was rustling through her purse, change and keys jingling as they were moved. 

“Ah-HA!” her triumphant shout caused him to jump at the sudden sound, before a package of tissues was pressed firmly into his hand. She waited for his sneezing to calm down, under the harsh lights in the hall her dark hair seemed to have a blue tint that only natural dark hair seemed to hold. He had never been more curious of who this woman was.

“Well Kid it’s been fun, but I’ve gotta jet.” Warm lips pressed against his cheek, and her nose brushed against his gently. He’d closed his eyes at some point and when he opened them the blue of her eyes was overwhelmingly


	9. Ladybug of the night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading and enjoying this story so far! I'm so glad to be able to share this with everyone.

Marinette knew she was butchering the sentence that Adrien had given her to practice. Cringing as the not quite right syllables come out somewhat garbled and childlike. However, Adrien smiles at her in praise and repeats it slowly. Once more she attempts the sentence, trying to ask someone about their job had gotten her tongue tied. This time the sentence came out less garbled and Adrien had enthusiastically rubbed his hand over the top of her head, effectively ruining her hair. 

High School Marinette would have fainted on the spot, Adrien had moved his chair closer to show her the symbols he had written to correspond with what he was saying. She could smell his laundry detergent, and the hair products that coiffed his luscious blond hair. She was close enough that his smile was even more vibrant than normal. Her heart was going too fast, but if she died she would have no regrets. 

“You’ve really improved Mari!” Adrien’s in the process of closing his notebook, handwritten worksheets still strewn across the conference table. “I have a resource book that I think will help you a lot, I can bring it next time if you’d like.” He didn’t want her to agree to that, he’d enjoyed the warmth radiating from her, and he had definitely spent more time imagining what sort of constellations could be seen in her freckles than thinking about the end of the lesson. 

“I have a flight in the morning to visit my family, they’ve been keeping an eye out for fabrics for me.” She was biting her lip nervously, “If you don’t mind would I be able to follow you home and get the book to look over during my layover?” 

“Of course!” Adrien’s answer was too quick, but he couldn’t help feeling elation. He helped her shrug into her coat, and waited as she wrapped her red scarf around her neck. The warehouse was empty, though Adrien didn’t mind following Marinette around the large building as she flips switches and turns the security on. 

Luckily the Gorilla was picking him up from the building, which meant that Marinette was quickly swept into the limo like the princess Chat claimed her to be. His eyes were stuck on her throughout the ride. Her cheeks were flushed a pleasant rose color from the rush of fall weather that had settled over Paris, and her hair still wasn’t perfect from when he hadn’t been able to keep his hand to himself at her success. 

 

The large gates to the mansion loomed almost as large as the home itself. Marinette had never seen Adrien’s house outside of magazines, but the overwhelming sense of minimalism and coldness could be felt as soon as her foot hit the first marble step. She would have preferred to stay outside in the brush of wind and drizzling weather.

Adrien was explaining the architecture bashfully, answering questions Marinette threw at him. He was talking about the original owner of the mansion, excitement palpable, having a friend home was nice. He had only taken Chloe through the door, and she hadn’t been interested in the architect or the history. She had only wanted to be escorted into his room for movies. 

He had looked up to the top of the steps, a habit of glancing over portraits of his family, but the cold gaze from his father wasn’t etched permanently on canvas. The man himself glowered at Marinette, who had focused on crown moldings. His heart dropped into his stomach, he felt like a child again looking up to the looming figure of his father. He had to remind himself that he was an adult, and that he was living with his father because he had been forbidden to live on his own, it would have given Adrien the freedom to ruin his image. 

“Adrien, I understand you’re an adult and you have interests; however, I do not appreciate them being brought into the house. You must choose your partners wisely, you cannot bring the first wiling girl you encounter home.” Gabriel was looking Marinette up and down, her pink coat covered most of her outfit, the hem of her pleated skirt brushed against the knee high soft brown boots. She looked nothing like a prostitute. She looked free, and Adrien felt heat rising in anger. 

“Mr. Agreste,” Marinette hadn’t moved closer to him, her face was still plastered with a pleasant smile, except it didn’t reach her eyes. The piercing blue were boring into his father’s gray, he could feel tension mounting, “I’ve been hearing so much about you from Mr. Stone. Ladybug and I have been looking through your proposed designs. It’s a little stiff, but you’ll get there eventually.” 

 

His father’s face hadn’t changed, but he had pieced together enough to know who she was, and he knew that his comments could cause issues with their tentative deal. Adrien wanted to laugh, he had never seen anyone talk to his father that way, except maybe Ladybug. 

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng I apologize,” his father’s tone didn’t sound apologetic and his facial expression showed no remorse, “It isn’t often my son brings anyone home with him, and with your disheveled state I feared the worst for your personality.” 

“No harm done Mr. Agreste.” Marinette’s tone was flippant, “Your son has been kind enough to tutor me in Chinese. He’s a wonderful tutor, it’s a shame he’s only been allowed to model and not following his true passion of teaching. If you’ll excuse us I have a flight to pack for, and this book isn’t going to magically appear by itself.” 

She was holding his hand and leading him past his father on the stairs, though once they passed she pulled Adrien into a leading role. As soon as the door to his room was closed he could feel the laughter he had been holding back was fighting its way up. Marinette had finally turned to him a look of horror on her face. 

“I’m so sorry Adrien! Just the fact that your father thought I was a prostitute and that you of all people needed one was just ridiculous” 

His shoulders were shaking, and her teeth sunk into her bottom lip nervously. He couldn’t help himself, he needed to move, and before he could stop himself he had pulled her closer. He was laughing into the soft skin of her neck, doubled over and shaking with emotion. Marinette was stiff in his arms, but she sagged a little the longer he laughed. 

“I’m so glad you told him off Mari!” Adrien was catching his breath, though the effort made his voice hitch in his throat, “Did you see the look on his face!”

“His face looked the same the whole time Adrien!” Marinette pulled back from him a victorious grin on her face. 

“He was shocked you had the nerve to talk to him that way! I wish I could have said it instead, but it wouldn’t have managed to leave him that shocked.” 

“You can tell him off next time.” She winked at him and looked around at the rock wall and the library that he had updated. “By the way, what kind of person has a room this extravagant? How is this necessary?” 

“My father has to make up for the fact that he left his staff to raise me after my mother’s death.” He gestured around, “Apparently giving me this kingdom of my own to rule over is his way of doing so.” 

Marinette made a noncommittal noise and moved further into the room to look closer at his computer set up. He was nervous, having someone he liked in his room made his heart race. And when she pulled herself up off the floor on one of the hand holds on the rock wall he was done for. 

“Let me get the resource book.” He was a model and keeping his face as close to normal as possible was harder than it had ever been. She had let the hand holds go and had moved closer to his closet, which was color coded and put in order by season. 

Book in hand Adrien watched her move through the clothing, she was sorting through monochrome colors, his father rarely used vibrant pigments in his clothing, but Marinette was examining them and humming as if she was in a store. 

“It’s a little bland,” Marinette grinned at him, “I’ll see if I can find anything that catches my eye on my trip. You could use some more exciting designs in your life.” She glanced at her watch and grimaced apologetically at how long she had been there. 

“I’ll book an appointment with you when you get back.” He was leading her through the hallway and grinned over his shoulder, “You’ll need my measurements after all.” 

His father wasn’t anywhere near the stairs or entrance, which Adrien was ecstatic about, he could linger as long as he wanted saying goodbye to Marinette. The Gorilla had waited with the limo in front of the door, and Adrien was glad that he stayed in the car to allow the privacy that Adrien wanted. He offered her the book, and they both let their fingers brush and linger longer than was necessary. 

He leaned forward to brush a kiss against the apple of her cheek, “Make sure to call me if you have any questions about the book. “She nodded mutely and let him help her into the backseat of the limo.

“Promise to finish those worksheets?” He couldn’t let her go yet, he wanted to book the seat next to her on the plane, and he wanted to lean closely and ask her basic questions in Chinese just to hear her cutely stumble over phrases she wasn’t familiar with. 

“Promise to make me more of them?” 

“You know it.” The door shut, and the limo disappeared through the gate. A brush of cold air rushed across his neck and he knew that if he lingered the chance of getting sick would keep him trapped in the cold mansion, and he couldn’t stand the thought of being a caged bird after feeling so free with Marinette.


	10. Time breaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this has taken so long to write! I've been having issues trying to get my chapters to start at the point I want them to. I'm not amazingly happy with this chapter but it's moving things where I want them to be so I'll take it!

Marinette had been gone for too long, Adrien understood that her trip had to be extended because of a lost passport, but his chest had been constricting uncomfortably since she had informed him. Time seemed to slow then, he did his photoshoots on autopilot and continued to make practice sheets that he e-mailed her almost daily. 

Today was a rare day off, he’d woken up and worked out in the basement gym of the mansion. He’d practiced the piano, he’d practiced his fencing, and he was working to learn the combo moves in Mecha Strike to help his chances of beating Marinette the next time they had the chance. There wasn’t a single thing he could think to do. He had dinner plans with Nino, who was left lonely by Alya’s trip to scout out venues that wanted Jagged to perform for them. But that was a lifetime away. He was ready to do practice physics problems when his phone dinged, a new email. 

“It won’t be Marinette.” He told Plagg, who didn’t bother looking up from cleaning himself, “She’s supposed to be getting her passport picture taken at the embassy today.”

He allowed his thumbprint to rest over the home button forlornly as the screen allowed access. He had three new e-mails. One from Nathalie who was sending a copy of the weeks schedule. One was spam about pills for erectile dysfunction, which he deleted immediately. His breath caught, and the muscles in his face seemed to go into overdrive as the pure pleasure of seeing Marinette’s e-mail set in.

A picture of Marinette with her temporary passport clutched in one hand was attached. She looked wonderful, her dark hair piled in a complicated twist, her freckles were barely visible and the stretch of her red painted lips in a triumphant grin made his heart skip into a staccato. 

“I got my passport! Thank you so much for all the worksheets you’ve made, they’ve been a lifesaver in communicating with my Uncle and the people I’ve encountered. My accent has gotten better, and I’ve become more understandable, though I still don’t sound as wonderful as you do. 

The embassy took less time than I was expecting, which means I have the afternoon off to pack and get everything ready to fly back home. Thank you for all your help Adrien!

Mari X” 

She’d signed it with a kiss! Adrien wished it had been an actual one, but he would take the black X illuminated on his screen. 

“Mari,  
I’m so glad you got it taken care of! Time stopped moving once you left Paris, it’ll be nice to have time move again. I’d love to hear your improvement, if you have time feel free to facetime me. I have dinner plans with Nino, but other than that I am completely free.

Adrien X” 

Adrien let his thumb hit the send button before he could feel embarrassed about his admission of how slow time had seemed to be moving. Before he could worry though the request for Marinette’s call filled his screen and the Jagged Stone ballad he’d chosen for her filled the room. 

“How does my hair look?” he asked Plagg while running his hand over the mess he hadn’t bothered trying to tame. Plagg blinked mulishly at him and Adrien let his worries fall under the overwhelming urge to hear Marinette laugh. 

“Adrien!” she was laughing and pushing a long-haired woman out of the way. Her eyes were devastatingly blue and the sound of movement in a kitchen could be heard faintly behind. 

“Did you lose your hairbrush?” she grinned at him jokingly.

“The minute you left I lost everything.” He pouted at her, “First I lost my pupil, then I lost my sense of time, and then I lost the respect my own cat held for me.” 

Her mouth frowned gently at him, “Adrien I’m not sure if you knew this but,” she hesitated, and Adrien couldn’t help the descent of the pit of his stomach, “Plagg has never had any respect for you. If you’re looking for a love connection between you and Plagg you’ll go bankrupt buying expensive Camembert to bribe him.” 

It was true, his cat had a weird love for the disgusting smelling cheese. Something he had used to his benefit when he needed to lure Plagg from under the bed or into a carrying crate to go to the vets. 

“Do you think Tikki could come to love me?” he let his lip pout out and he let his eyes well with false tears. 

Marinette tapped her finger against her plump lower lip and hummed noncommittally. 

“Marinette don’t leave me hanging.” 

“I’m sure Tikki could come to love you,” a mischievous spark glinted that Adrien didn’t like, “However I would have to die, then my parents, and then Alya and  
Nino before you would get the opportunity to test it.”

Adrien sighed and slumped further into his couch cushions and let his head fall back against the pillow in the well-modeled pose. 

“So” he let the word hang in the air, “You’re saying I have a chance?” 

Marinette’s stunned laughter came through his speakers, and despite the tinny tone it took on he knew it was genuine. He let the sound wash over him and listened as her breath hitched and her giggling subsided.

“When does your flight come in?” he broke the short silence. 

“I should be home Friday afternoon.” Her voice was quiet, “I’ve missed being home.” 

“We’ve missed having you home. Can you can get an earlier flight?” He had a photoshoot all day Friday and he wanted to be close to her sooner rather than later. 

“Unfortunately, if I left without giving my Uncle the chance to make his famous soup he would never let me live down the dishonor I brought to him.” She winked at him, “He’s been waiting for this for days and we don’t get to visit often. This is the first chance I’ve had to really be able to talk to him on a visit without an interpreter.” Her face scrunched in thought.

“Well, I mean my cousin Bridgette still has to help every so often, but this is the first trip I’ve had where I feel like I’m actually communicating.” 

“I’m glad” Adrien smiled at her fondly. 

A knock sounded on the door before Adrien could say anything else. The long-haired woman had come back into the room and she leaned over Marinette to be in view of the camera. She looked like Marinette, her long hair was a similar shade and the long pigtails were endearing. Her complexion was smooth, and her eyes were gray rather than blue. 

“Is this your boyfriend?” the girl teased Marinette in Mandarin and Adrien couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face. 

“Bridgette!” Marinette’s face erupted in a quick succession of pink and red.

“Nice to me you I’m Marinette’s friend Adrien” his switch to mandarin from French was fluent and the girl lit up in delight at the embarrassment of her cousin. 

“Are you single? You know Mari is single and she could do with a good-looking guy like you” Marinette was doing her best to get her phone from the other woman while shuffling her out the door. 

“I’m single and I wish I was in Marinette’s league but she’s too far ahead of me.” 

Marinette scoffed finally managing to get the situation underhand. Bridgette winked and blew a kiss his way calling him brother-in-law and laughing as Marinette shut the door again. 

“You don’t need to lie Adrien we both know you’re way out of my league.” Her face had returned to her normal coloring and Adrien took the time to admire her. She paused, head cocked as a muffled voice seemed to call out to her. “It’s dinner time I have to go.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Adrien said smiling at her.

“See you soon.” Marinette was grinning at him and moving to end the call.

“Mari.” She stopped and let her eyes meet his again, “I think we should agree to disagree that we’re both in the same league” he let his gaze linger on her face for a second more before grinning and saluting. “Let me know when you board.” 

Marinette hummed her agreement, her face pink and Adrien knew that she was having an error. 

He looked at his phone Wednesday 4:30 p.m. Time was moving again.


End file.
